President Donald Trump's second attempt to sue The Wall Street Journal was dismissed with prejudice on Saturday, ending his pursuit of a defamation claim over the newspaper's reporting on his alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that Trump had again failed to establish actual malice, a legal requirement for public figures bringing defamation claims. "As with his first attempt, he has failed," Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote.
The judge highlighted the newspaper's "thoughtful and detailed investigation" and the efforts made by its reporters to seek comments from Trump and other officials before publishing the article.
"Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation," Gayles wrote.
Trump's lawyers had argued that the newspaper should have abandoned the story after he denied any involvement with Epstein.
Rejecting that argument, the judge said: "That is not what the actual malice standard requires and runs afoul of the First Amendment."
Trump had refiled the lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion in damages. Saturday's dismissal with prejudice means the case cannot be brought before the court again.
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